Hawks arrest Kagiso police officer over R10k bail bribe scam
A Kagiso police officer is in hot water after allegedly demanding a bribe on behalf of a magistrate. The Hawks stepped in and caught him red-handed.
A police officer from the Kagiso Police Station appeared in the Kagiso Magistrate’s Court last week on corruption charges.
According to Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, the charges stem from an incident on July 8 when a man was arrested for assault. Although he was initially granted bail, the magistrate rejected the application during the suspect’s first court appearance on July 9, citing the seriousness of the charges. The matter was postponed to July 15 for a formal bail hearing.
Before that hearing could take place, the officer allegedly approached the suspect’s family and falsely claimed that the magistrate had requested a payment of R10 000 in exchange for bail.
“The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit, and the officer was arrested on July 15 for corruption after receiving a R500 payment as gratification,” Mavimbela said.
He appeared in the Kagiso Magistrate’s Court on July 16, where he was granted bail of R1 000. The matter was postponed to August 14 for further investigation.
